NFL trade deadline grades: Cam Jurgens to Ravens, Joey Porter Jr. to Cowboys

Why this is trending

People are typing in that exact headline because ESPN analysts Ben Solak and Seth Walder started handing out grades on this year's trade season on Oct. 7, with the deadline set for Tuesday, Nov. 10 at 4 p.m. ET. They've graded three deals so far: quarterback J.J. McCarthy to the Giants, cornerback Joey Porter Jr. to the Cowboys, and center Cam Jurgens to the Ravens. The Jurgens move is the one drawing eyeballs because the grade split is lopsided, a D+ for Baltimore against an A for Philadelphia.

What's confirmed is the full shape of the Jurgens trade and the reasoning behind both grades. What isn't out yet is any detailed grading on the Porter Jr. or McCarthy deals, ESPN says more grades are coming as the deadline gets closer. What happens next is straightforward, the deadline hits Nov. 10 and the grading keeps rolling until then.

The Jurgens-Ravens breakdown

Baltimore gets center Cam Jurgens and a 2027 seventh-round pick. Philadelphia gets a 2027 fifth-round pick and a 2028 second-round pick. ESPN scored it a D+ for the Ravens and an A for the Eagles.

Baltimore needed a center because Tyler Linderbaum walked in free agency, and then Jovaughn Gwyn and Ethan Pocic both went down to injury. The Ravens had already slid rookie guard Olaivavega Ioane over to center last week, but that apparently wasn't seen as a real long-term answer, which is what pushed them into the trade market.

Why the price looks steep

Jurgens is only 27 and already locked into a long-term deal after extending with the Eagles in 2025, so this isn't a rental. He played center at a Pro Bowl level in 2024, posting an 80th percentile pass block win rate and 50th percentile run block win rate. He made the Pro Bowl again in 2025, but those numbers slipped to the 65th and 39th percentiles. Then Philadelphia moved him to left guard in Week 2 after Landon Dickerson landed on injured reserve, and it went poorly, bottom three in the league in both pass and run block win rate at the position.

Jurgens is owed $16 million fully guaranteed next year and $17 million non-guaranteed in both 2028 and 2029. That $17 million average makes him the fourth highest paid center in the league, behind only Tyler Linderbaum, Creed Humphrey and Aaron Brewer, according to OverTheCap.com. For comparison, Connor McGovern, who graded out better than Jurgens last season, makes just over $13 million a year. The one break for Baltimore is that Jurgens' cap hit is cheap this season.

What's next

ESPN says it will keep issuing grades on deals right through the Nov. 10 deadline, so expect more report cards on the Porter Jr. and McCarthy trades, plus whatever else gets done before that Tuesday afternoon cutoff.

Facts per ESPN. Opinion is the taproom's.